Galette Des Rois

I’m a bit late to post this Galette Des Rois recipe since it is made on January 6 of each year to celebrate Epiphany. Since a lot of you saw my Instagram story sharing my version, I decided to post it anyway because it’s an incredibly delicious pastry to serve anytime.

I always say that nothing is too hard to make from scratch – and I definitely get teased about that – but this recipe is really easy. All you have to do is create an almond based frangipane filling and then spread it between two store-bought puff pastry sheets that you can cut into a circular or square shape. You can even skip the fancy scoring on top and opt for a simple crosshatch pattern. The scoring is important though to ensure that the puff rises evenly.

A lot of recipes out there only use almond cream for the filling, but frangipane is traditionally used in most bakeries, which is basically pastry cream and almond cream mixed together with some add-ons like orange zest and rum. I prefer a frangipane filling because it is more creamy, rich, and addictive.

Have you made a Galette des Rois this year? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to add a trinket or a whole almond in the filling – whoever gets it gets to be the queen or king of the day!
Yields one 8″ galette (20cm)

Crust
450g puff pastry (homemade or store-bought) cut into 8″ circles.Note: If making a 9″ galette, you will need two store-bought puff pastry packages.

Pastry Cream
1. In a small saucepan, combine the milk with half the sugar and put on medium heat to slowly bring it up to a simmer.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, the rest of the sugar and cornstarch. When the milk is hot (don’t let it boil), very slowly pour it over the egg mixture while whisking constantly and fast to prevent the yolk from curdling.
3. Working quickly, strain the milk-egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat whisking continuously.
4. Cook the pastry cream for 2 minutes until it thickens then remove from the heat, and add the butter cubes one at a time, whisking until fully incorporated, then the vanilla extract.
5. Transfer the pastry cream to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Put aside or store in the fridge if making this a day in advance.

Almond CreamIn a small bowl, cream together the softened butter with the sugar (or use a stand mixer). Mix in consecutively the egg, almond flour, cornstarch and finally the rum.

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a half sheet pan in the oven.
2. Gently roll out the puff pastry to a 3mm-thick rectangle. Using an 8″ cake pan or a lid, cut two rounds of puff pastry with a sharp knife (the top should ideally be about 1cm bigger than the bottom). Pierce with a fork to let steam escape during baking and place them side by side on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until very cold or freeze for a few minutes.
3. To make the frangipane, mix the pastry cream with half of the almond cream (or all of it if making a larger galette) then set aside. Refrigerate the rest of the almond cream for other preparations.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, place the bottom dough on the center of the lined baking sheet and pipe the frangipane cream in a spiral shape leaving a 1″ (3cm) edge. Place a nut, bean, or trinket on the edge of the filling.
5. Brush water around the exposed perimeter of the dough, making sure not to touch the edges as this will prevent it from puffing up, then place the second larger circle on top of the cream and press down to seal the edges very well, leaving finger marks.
6. Flip the galette so that the top becomes the bottom (optional for a smoother top) and decorate the side of the galette by making an inward mark with the back of a knife blade. Brush the first layer of egg wash and refrigerate again for at least an hour.
7. Take out the galette, brush a second layer of egg wash and draw a pattern with the tip of a sharp knife. Note: this step is important to ensure that the dough rises evenly; do not cut the puff pastry or it will crack after baking. Poke small holes in the decoration lines in the center and sides.
8. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes then at 350°F (200°C) for 35-40 minutes, until the galette becomes a deep golden brown color. Serve warm at room temperature.